


Animagi in Love

by house_of_lantis



Category: American Idol RPF, Harry Potter Crossover
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-14
Updated: 2013-01-01
Packaged: 2017-10-18 01:30:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/183474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/house_of_lantis/pseuds/house_of_lantis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Professor Kristopher Allen is the newest Quidditch coach at Hogwarts and Professor Adam Lambert hates his guts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

[](http://www.flickr.com/photos/35532998@N03/7770043508/)

It had been years since he had been to Hogwarts and he was pleased that the school that he loved still stood and looked the same. Late, late, late! He hated being late. No doubt Professor McGonagall was going to take points from him – but oh wait, she wasn’t his professor anymore…they were going to be peers now, how strange was that? Well, maybe not quite peers…but he didn’t think that professors could dock points from each other. Right?

Kris ran through the empty hallways of Hogwarts, taking the steps two at a time to the Great Hall. He was an hour late for the Sorting Ceremony and welcome feast. Breathlessly, Kris jammed one of his arms into the sleeve of his wrinkled black professorial robe, his messenger bag looped around one shoulder, and his Nimbus 7500 series racing broom under the other arm. Grabbing the edge of the robe with his teeth, Kris managed to get his arm into the sleeve as he grabbed the door to the Great Hall…

And tripped to his knees, broom skittering across the floor.

Four hundred eyes turned to stare at him and Kris felt his face heat up as he stood, grinning sheepishly as he slipped the messenger bag off his shoulder and pulled on his black robe properly over his Muggle jeans and plaid shirt. He looked at the students sitting nearest to him as they stared at him with wide eyes. The girls whispered to each other and the boys stood up to peer at him curiously.

“Is this a Nimbus 7500?” One of the boys said, holding it reverently in his hands.

Kris grinned. “Yup. Newest racing broom on the market.”

The teenager stared at it with wide, greedy eyes. “They say that it can go at least 2 G’s.”

“They say right,” he murmured, chuckling as the teenager handed the broom back to him, his eyes staring at Kris like he was someone worth a teenager’s attention. The students who heard their conversation gasped and started whispering to each other again.

Kris picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder and propped his broom over one shoulder as he made his way down the long room to the professors table at the front of the room. He stood at the steps and nodded his greeting to Albus Dumbledore.

“…and welcome our newest addition, Professor Kristopher Allen, Hogwart’s Quidditch coach,” Dumbledore said, smiling affectionately at him as he took an empty seat at the end of the table.

“I’m sorry, Headmaster, for being so late,” Kris said, putting his broom and bag on the floor beside him.

He looked at the familiar faces of his former professors – Snape, McGonagall, Sprout, Flitwick – and a few new faces as well. He nodded to them and smiled happily. Flitwick and Sprout waved to him, he was surprised by Snape’s small smile, and McGonagall gave him a wry grin with her eyebrow quirked.

Dumbledore chuckled, turning back to the students. “Professor Allen joins us from the Colonies where he’s won four World Cups for his home team, the Arkansas Flyers, as Seeker and as Beater. He’s graciously taken a sabbatical from the games to come and teach world-class Quidditch to Hogwarts.”

There was rabid applause from the students, many of them standing and cheering, and Kris grinned at them, standing briefly and waving his hand at them excitedly. He remembered, from his years as a Hogwarts student, how much he loved Quidditch and was pleased that the current crop of students was just as crazily in love, too.

“Ohhhh, sit. Down.” The man beside Kris hissed under his breath.

Kris sat down and turned to look at the frowning man beside him. Kris thought he was very attractive with short black hair that was swept back in a stylish pompadour and pale blue-gray eyes. His face was polished with make up and eyes lined with dark eye shadow. Kris grinned, turning to him and holding out his hand. “I’m Kris.”

The man stared at Kris’s hand and raised his eyebrow. “Professor Adam Lambert. Advanced Transfigurations.”

“Cool,” he said, ignoring Adam’s rudeness. “You’re an American. Where you from?”

“San Diego,” he said, reaching for his drink and taking a small sip. Kris looked at the awesome collection of rings on his fingers. Kris was very interested in Adam Lambert.

Kris’s stomach grumbled noisily and he laughed, patting his tummy and looking at his plate which filled quickly with his favorite foods – fried chicken, French fries, and raw oysters.

“Good God,” Adam said, frowning at his plate. “I can’t believe that’s what you’re having.”

Kris picked up the oyster shell and slurped it, grinning sideways at Adam and keeping an eye on him as he tilted back his head, letting the oyster fall into his mouth. Adam stared at him, mouth parting slightly. He turned away, making an annoyed sound.

“So what did I miss?” Kris said, chewing slowly and taking a sip of water.

Adam looked at him. “Shouldn’t you know? You did graduate from Hogwarts.”

“Hmmm…just making conversation,” he said, picking apart his fried chicken with his fingers and popping it into his mouth. He licked his fingers, watching Adam under his lashes.

Adam rolled his eyes, watching him eat. “What is your House affiliation?”

“Hufflepuff.”

“Figures.” Adam snorted, shaking his head. It grated on Kris’s last nerve. He was trying to be polite and happy and this guy was being such a jerk. They were the only Americans at Hogwarts, they should be getting along.

“What’s wrong with Hufflepuff?” He said, his voice showing his annoyance. He gave Adam a long look: perfect hair, perfect face, perfect manners, and perfect robes. Kris rolled his eyes. “Ohhhh, I get it. You’re a Slytherin, aren’t you? You have that whole superiority thing going for you.”

“I wouldn’t show your House prejudices so early, Professor Allen. You’ll learn that won’t be tolerated by the faculty.”

Kris rolled his eyes and laughed. “Give me a break, Adam. I don’t have House prejudices; in fact, Hufflepuff has always been the least prejudiced of the four Houses when it comes to House affiliation.”

“I didn’t give you permission to call me by my first name, Allen. It’s Professor Lambert.”

“Sure, whatever you say Pro-fes-sor Lambert.” Kris drawled, laughing again at the look of annoyance on Adam’s face.

He wasn’t sure what to expect during the school year as Hogwart’s Quidditch coach, but he was certain that it wasn’t going to be boring.

*****

Kris found his suite of rooms by the Hufflepuff dorms in the basement near the kitchens. He used to sneak into the kitchens after all the House elves had gone to bed for the night and raided their pantries for snacks. Kris had discovered all of the secret passageways in the basement, especially the secret route that led to the castle grounds to the Forbidden Forest.

His room was warmly decorated in his House colors – a cheerful canary yellow and midnight black – and a fire was burning invitingly in the fireplace in the living room. There was a large bedroom, a bathroom that would make even the Prefects jealous, and an office where he could hold office hours because he would help the Head of House, Professor Pomona Sprout, take care of the Hufflepuff students. The House elves had unpacked his few belongings and set up his acoustic guitar in a corner of the living room.

With a sigh, Kris pulled off his professorial robe and dropped his bag and broom on the floor. He had spent a good 6-hours on his broom, choosing to fly on his Nimbus from Arkansas to Hogwarts. It was a new broom from his teammates and Kris wanted a chance to break it in, get a feel for it, before he took to his coaching duties.

He stretched his arms and back, but what he really needed to do was go for a run. He felt the Forbidden Forest calling him. Kris had learned how to transform into his animagus form since he was in his 4th year. He was a pure white snow fox, which always struck him as hilarious because he grew up in the warm climes of the South and not anywhere near the Artic, the common territory of snow foxes. But it didn’t matter, Kris loved being in his animagus form and he had spent many nights running through the Forbidden Forest, especially after a fresh snowfall.

He didn’t think the Headmaster would mind if Kris stretched his legs a little. He left his rooms and made his way to the alcove where he had discovered that the side wall was actually a doorway to a secret passageway. Quietly, he made his way through the narrow corridor until he found the door that led to the castle grounds. He ran across the field to the edges of the Forbidden Forest and hid behind a tree to take off his clothes and secure his wand.

He flowed into his animagus form and gave a languid stretch on his front paws, rubbing his small, pointed face against the fluffy white fur of his arm. And then he was off!

Kris ran and ran and ran, nimble front paws jumping over the low brush, over fallen tree trunks, giving a happy and wondrous cry into the night air. He stopped running when he heard a soft, answering purr. His ears flicked and he stuck his nose into the air, sniffing quickly. He scented an animal nearby and Kris turned until he saw the beautiful snow leopard standing nearby, head ducked slightly to show that he wasn’t there to fight.

He let out a happy greeting and basically bounced over to the snow leopard, tongue hanging out and barely holding still as the snow leopard moved around him, sniffing him and memorizing his scent. Kris swept his fluffy tail on the snow leopard’s face and let out a chuffing sound, taking off in a run across the forest landscape.

The snow leopard leaped into the air, powerful arms and legs pounding the ground as he followed Kris across the forest floor. Kris felt his animal endorphins fill him and he barked out a sound, an extra bolt of energy moving through him as he ran faster to catch up to the snow leopard.

They came to a clearing and Kris pounced on the snow leopard, curling around his back and falling to the grass. The snow leopard let out a pleased growl and pounced on him right back until they were both nipping playfully at each other and rolling around the grass, their arms and legs and tails tangling together.

The snow leopard panted, looking at Kris and Kris made a low, questioning sound, ducking his head as he padded closer. He stuck out his tongue and licked the snow leopard tentatively on his cheek. The snow leopard let out a huffing noise and rolled on his side, giving Kris permission to lick to his heart’s content.

Kris made a soft sound and spent a good half hour grooming the snow leopard. Then he curled up beside him and closed his eyes as the snow leopard licked behind his ears. In all the years that Kris ran through the Forbidden Forest, he had never had a friend to enjoy it with. He didn’t know where the snow leopard came from but he wasn’t going to turn away a new friend.

The snow leopard curled on his side, flicking his thick spotted tail, mouth open in what looked like a smile. Kris moved closer to him and curled up against his side, burying his snout into the snow leopard’s shoulder. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, a sense of warmth and contentment filling him for the first time in a long time.

*****

Kris sat on his broom on the Quidditch Pitch, hovering low on the ground as the Gryffindors nearly ran towards him in their excitement. He grinned, pulling his wand from his sleeve, waving for the students to come closer.

“Is it true that you once caught the Snitch in 10 seconds?”

“I heard that you pulled a Wronski Feint while doing a 90-degree dive—“

“I heard that you knocked a Bludger out of the Pitch so hard that they had to postpone the game for a full week until it was recovered!”

“I heard—“

Kris laughed, shaking his head. “Well, some of that is true but a lot of that is exaggerated.”

“Which—“

“Hey, are you guys here to play Quidditch or listen to a lecture?”

“Play Quidditch”! The students called out to him, laughing.

“Well, I’m glad you’re all psyched because we have a lot to do today,” he said, smiling widely at them. He watched them place their brooms on the ground, getting ready to sit down in front of him. “Whoa, guys, I know Madam Hooch did things differently, but Quidditch isn’t about sitting around and talking about it. It’s about getting on brooms and being in the air.” The Gryffindors cheered, standing quickly and mounting their brooms. They looked at him expectantly and Kris laughed. “Well, what’re you all waiting for, get some air!”

With loud whoops, the students hit the air and Kris maneuvered his broom towards the case that held the Quidditch balls. He kicked it open with his foot and released the two Bludgers, the Golden Snitch, and the Quaffle. He pulled his wand and spelled them to professional levels, smirking as he pulled his broom into the air to join the students.

“Split into two teams! Show me what you got!” He yelled, laughing as the Gryffindors scrambled in the air, flying in a chaotic dance, trying their best to chase after the balls zooming in the air. “I want you to be able to make strategic plans in mid-game, in the air! Do it!”

He pulled up higher so that he could have a bird’s eye view of the Pitch. His expert eyes watched as the students maneuvered around each other, hooting in joy as they flew at high speeds. He watched as the team members naturally took their positions, each taking initiative. Kris moved around the Pitch, keeping his eyes on the Snitch to see which one of them would try and go after it.

Four students broke off, chasing after the snitch. Kris smirked, nodding in approval. He saw a couple of the Beaters trying to slam their paddles against the Bludgers. One of them nearly got a good hit.

“Go after it! Don’t let the Bludgers scare you! You have to get behind it and hit it like you mean business!” Kris shouted at the Beaters. “Go now! Do it now!”

One of the Beaters pulled back his arm and gave the Bludger a serious hit. Kris ducked on his broom, laughing as the Bludger sailed over his head, flying towards the nearest tower.

“Awww, dang it,” he said, moving his broom to chase after the Bludger, his wand in his hand. He could try to get to it before it broke the classroom windows. “Condesiste!” The Bludger veered slightly to avoid the spell and slammed into the window, shattering it in a shower of what looked like silver glitter.

“Is everyone okay!” He pulled up to the broken window and looked into the classroom. The students had ducked down under their desks. Kris saw the Bludger bounce against the far wall and then hit the floor, rolling towards the front of the room. A booted foot stopped it and Kris looked up to look at the furious face of Professor Adam Lambert.

Ohhh, dang it! I’m dead.

“Professor Allen! I am trying to conduct class!” Adam bent to pick up the Bludger, holding it in both hands as it tried to wiggle out of his strong grip. He stalked towards the broken window and Kris really considered just flying away to avoid this confrontation.

“I do apologize, Professor Lambert. I hope no one was hurt,” Kris said, looking at the students. All of them grinned at him and Kris waved to them.

“Seriously, Allen, what the hell?” Adam hissed at him, scowling. “I know that this is all just a game to you—“

“Quidditch is not just a game!” He hissed back, frowning deeply.

“—but some of us are actual professors—“

“I am an actual professor,” Kris said, hotly.

“—and we are training witches and wizards with magic that they should know, not flying on their brooms to chase after magiked balls!”

“Maybe if you’d lighten up a little and take the broomstick out of your backside, you might actually enjoy the sport, Lambert,” Kris said, his voice husky and mean. He glared at Adam as Adam glared at him.

“That was out of line—“

“No, you were totally out of line first!” Kris snarled, reaching down to grab the Bludger out of Adam’s hands and pushing his foot against the window ledge to turn and fly back to the Pitch.

A part of him wished that the Bludger had smacked into Adam’s head.

*****

Kris flicked his ears, listening for the sound of his snow leopard friend. He scented the air and skipped through the forest, wondering if the snow leopard would make an appearance. He really needed it; he needed the distraction. For the past month, he and Adam Lambert did nothing but snipe at each other and it was starting to really drain him. Every time Kris tried to be polite and offer some kind of truce, Adam just stared at him and walked away. Some days, Kris wanted to grab Adam and…do something. He wasn’t sure what.

In desperation, Kris sought out Severus Snape’s assistance, but the Potion Master seemed to take a kind of wicked pleasure in seeing them at odds.

“That’s not fair of you, Severus,” Kris groused, rolling his eyes.

Snape chuckled. “Have you forgotten that I am not a fair man, Kristopher?”

Kris smiled at him, watching as Snape poured him another glass of firewhiskey. “Look, there’s got to be a way to get through his—his thick skull. I’m trying to be friends with him.”

“As entertaining as I find your failure at trying to strike up a friendship with Lambert, I’m afraid that I don’t have the magic words that will unlock his animosity towards you,” Snape said, his voice soft. “Perhaps you should leave him be.”

Kris sighed, staring morosely at his empty glass. “But…he’s so pretty…and I think I like him.”

Severus Snape actually laughed so hard that he fell out of his chair.

The familiar rumble had Kris’s ears perk up and he turned to see the snow leopard looking at him, flicking his tail playfully. Kris gave a little bounce and growled prettily as the snow leopard turned and ran into the forest. Kris gave chase, whooping loudly as he followed his favorite scent deeper into the forest.

He came into the clearing and looked around but didn’t see the snow leopard anywhere. He gave a soft whimper, tucking his nose into the air to try and catch his scent when he heard the sneaky chuffle behind him and strong paws pushing him into the grass, rolling around with him.

Kris barked out his pleasure and licked at the snow leopard’s face. He gave a soft sigh and collapsed on the grass, eyes closed and tongue hanging out. The snow leopard licked his neck and gave a soft growl. Kris thought it meant ‘stay here’. He made a noise of agreement and watched as the snow leopard padded away back into the forest. Kris rolled on his side and curled up, his tail covering his nose. He wondered where the snow leopard was going. He closed his eyes and decided that he’d just take a little nap.

He smelled raw meat and he opened his eyes, lifting his head to see the snow leopard padding back towards him, a rabbit caught in his mouth. He dropped the still warm rabbit in front of Kris and nosed it towards him. Kris licked the snow leopard’s face in thanks and took a small bite of the tasty flesh. He chewed happily and made room for the snow leopard to crouch down beside him to share the meal.

Afterwards, Kris groomed him again, licking and cleaning the snow leopard. He curled up beside the snow leopard and let out a small sigh. A part of him wished that he could just be a snow fox and be out in the wild, forever companion to the snow leopard warm by his side. He tucked his face against the snow leopard and just breathed him in, letting a full tummy pull him to sleep.

***

It was just dawn when Kris walked into Hogwarts, yawning hugely and stretching his arms over his head.

“Have a pleasant evening, Kristopher?”

Kris looked up to find Dumbledore looking at him, a twinkle in his blue eyes. “Headmaster, I was just…uhhh…”

“There’s not much that happens in Hogwarts that I’m not aware of,” he said, gently. “Including what happens on her grounds.”

“Oh.” He murmured, unsure of what was going to happen. “Am I in trouble?”

“For running into the Forbidden Forest in your animagus form as a way to relieve your troubles? Of course not, Kristopher.” Dumbledore motioned for Kris to follow him. “But I would like to have a word with you, dear boy.”

“Sure, Headmaster.”

He followed Dumbledore to his office and took a seat in front of Dumbledore’s desk. The wizard grinned at him. “I feel that I haven’t spent enough time with you since you came to teach at Hogwarts. Are you enjoying your Quidditch duties?”

Kris smiled, nodding. “Yeah, it’s fantastic. The kids are doing great. I think we’re going to see some awesome games this season with all four teams.”

“That’s wonderful,” Dumbledore said, leaning forward on his elbows. “And are you getting along with the other professors?”

“I am,” he said, contemplatively. “I was expecting them to treat me like one of the kids, you know, but they’ve all been really welcoming and I think they like that I’m here.”

Dumbledore smiled. “I believe that’s right.” He took a deep breath. “And how are you getting along with Professor Lambert?”

“I…errr…fine, fine.”

“Kristopher—“

“Okay, we’re not getting along that great, but that’s okay. I don’t expect everyone to like me and I don’t expect to like everyone,” he said and gave a long sigh. “He hates me.”

“Professor Lambert does not hate you.”

Kris raised his eyebrow at him.

“Well, perhaps you both started off on the wrong foot?”

He chuckled, looking at his beat up sneakers. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

“I think you will find that you and Adam have a great deal in common, if you’d both make an attempt to try and find common ground,” Dumbledore said, kindly.

“Okay, well…I’ll try to find common ground with him, I suppose.” He said, reluctantly. “If I can get him to stand still for me to finish my sentence.”

“I have faith that you’ll manage, dear boy.” Dumbledore smiled widely, leaning back in his chair. “Well, I will see you later for breakfast.”

He knew when he was being dismissed. Kris nodded his thanks and stood up. “Have a good morning, Headmaster.”

***

Kris walked into the Great Hall and walked past the Hufflepuff table, smiling and saying hello to the kids. A few of them waved him down to show him an article in the International Journal of Quidditch about a new move or ask his opinion on what brand of Quidditch gloves he preferred. He answered each question and then laughed when his stomach gave a loud complaint.

“Better let me go and put some food in my tummy,” he joked, patting his stomach.

He saw a few of the professors sitting at the head table, his eyes falling on Adam. Kris scratched the back of his neck and made his way to the front of the room, sitting down in the empty seat by Adam. “Good morning, Professor Lambert.”

Adam looked up at him and took a breath. “Good morning, Professor Allen.”

Kris looked at his plate and grinned when a plateful of eggs, bacon, toast, and hash browns appeared in front of him. He peeked a glance at Adam and looked at his small bowl of oatmeal. “You never have anything but oatmeal.”

“I don’t have the kind of metabolism to have a big breakfast like yours,” Adam murmured, looking distastefully at his oatmeal. “Honestly, I hate this crap, but I don’t want to get fat.”

Kris chewed his bacon and turned to look at him. “You’re kidding, right? Why would you worry about that? You look great.”

For a moment, Kris thought he had made a mistake. He stared at his plate, scooping the eggs on his toast and taking a bite, wondering what Adam would say to him.

“Thanks,” Adam murmured, softly.

Kris stopped chewing and looked at him, offering him a smile without showing the food in his mouth. His mama did teach him some table manners after all. Adam gave him a tentative grin. They both ate their breakfast in silence. Kris wanted to do a victory dance and pump his fist in the air, but he didn’t think that Adam would appreciate that.

*****

The peace between them didn’t last beyond the second class of the day.

Kris ended up going over his time with the 7th year Gryffindors. “Awww, dang it! What class are you guys late for?”

“Advanced Transfiguration,” Harry said, making a face. “Sorry, Professor…”

Kris sighed, looking at the four 7th years. “All of you have Professor Lambert’s class?”

They nodded and Kris groaned, covering his face with his hands. “He’s going to kill me.”

“Probably,” Ron said, chuckling.

Kris sucked it up. He nodded and looked at the four of them. “All right, come on, I’ll take you to Professor Lambert’s class and explain to him what happened.”

Harry gave him a sympathetic look. “Good luck, Professor.”

***

“Do you have any respect for academics or do you not even care because you’ve taken too many Bludgers to the head?” Adam shouted at him in the hallway.

“You know, I’m so sick of you putting me down and putting down what I do here,” Kris shouted back. “I’m just as qualified to teach Quidditch as you are to teach Advanced Transfiguration! I took the same tests that you did and I met the Ministry of Education’s teaching standards—“

“Everyone knows that the only reasons you’re allowed to teach here is because you’ve won four World Cup titles and the Minister of Education probably owed Dumbledore a favor!”

Kris opened his mouth and then shut it, gritting his teeth. “I don’t normally curse but I think my mama will pardon me when I say that you are a total asshole!”

“Fuck you, Kris,” Adam hissed, taking a step closer to him, standing at his full height to glare down at him.

“Don’t think you’re going to intimidate me, Adam,” he snarled, lifting his chin and staring right into Adam’s narrowed blue eyes. “I’ve faced off against guys bigger than you on the Quidditch Pitch and I’ve never backed down—ooomphhh—“

Kris moaned as Adam kissed him, sucking on his bottom lip hard enough to bruise. Strong hands pushed Kris away and he tumbled over his own feet to crash against the stone wall, sliding down to the ground, staring up at Adam. “What—“

Adam stared at him, his eyes wide and mouth parted. It wouldn’t surprise Kris to know that they wore the same shocked expression.

“Adam—“

He watched as Adam stalked past Kris, opening the door to his classroom and slamming it behind him. Kris sank against the wall and stretched out his legs, letting out a deep breath. He licked his swollen bottom lip, remember the hot press of Adam’s wide mouth against his own. Well, that certainly was unexpected. And what else was unexpected was the flash of heat that uncurled low in his belly from the kiss.

Kris slapped himself on the forehead and closed his eyes. Dang it! What the heck did he do now?

 

*****

Kris ran as fast as he could through the forest. He knew that there were dangers, but he wasn’t expecting a black wolf to be passing through; he wasn’t expecting to be the black wolf’s dinner. He knew that the wolf was right on his heels and he ran quickly, breathing heavily, as he tried to head towards his clothes and his wand.

He felt the hot breath of the wolf on his left hind leg, sharp teeth biting down into his flesh. Kris let out a pained whine, his loud animal scream echoing through the forest. He kicked at the wolf’s snout with his other leg, using his front claws to jab at the wolf. But that only made the wolf angrier and he bit down harder on Kris’s hind leg.

He considered transforming back to his human form, but he knew he wouldn’t be any more of a match against the black wolf than in his snow fox form. He continued kicking at the wolf, knowing that as soon as the wolf released his leg, Kris would do his damnedest to run for Hogwarts.

There was a loud hiss and Kris turned to see the snow leopard snarling and baring his teeth. He leaped for the black wolf, biting him hard at the back of the neck, and jerking the wolf from Kris. The wolf released Kris’s leg and he whimpered, trying to get on his good leg and to head for his wand, but he couldn’t move. He fell on the ground, the pain shooting through him, and he trembled, falling on his side.

He watched as the snow leopard and the black wolf fought. Kris didn’t want to see his friend hurt or killed by the wolf. He tried to transform but he was so tired, weak from blood loss and intense pain. His leg felt like it was torn off and he tried to get a good look. The snow leopard made a loud growl and the black wolf gave a meek whimper, crying out as it dragged himself away. Kris watched the snow leopard growl at the wolf and he closed his eyes, relieved.

“Hey little guy.”

Kris startled at the sound of Adam’s voice. He opened his eyes to see Adam kneeling beside him, naked. He let out an involuntary whimper when Adam picked him up gently, holding him close against his chest.

“Shh…it’s all right, I got you now,” Adam murmured, humming softly to him.

Adam was the snow leopard? Dang it!

 

*****

He was in Adam’s private rooms. Kris looked around curiously, unable to stop himself despite the throbbing pain of his leg. He wasn’t surprised to see that Adam was neat and orderly; his room smelled like citrus and clean musk – very masculine.

Adam set Kris down on his bed and gently stroked his back. Kris stared at him, his mouth open. He watched as Adam pulled on a thick bathrobe, tying the sash around his waist.

“Come on, guy, let me see what happened. I can fix it,” Adam cooed at him, a large hand stroking over his head.

Kris closed his eyes and moaned, enjoying the gentleness of Adam’s hands on his body. All these nights that Kris was running in the Forbidden Forest with his snow leopard friend, grooming him, wrestling with him, and sharing yummy rabbits with him -- it was Adam the whole time. The whole time!

Adam gave a sympathetic hiss. “It looks bad, but it’s going to be all right.” He bent down to dig through his clothes for his wand, pulling it from the tangle of his pants. Kris watched as Adam murmured a number of healing spells. Kris whimpered as he felt his bones straighten and mend; the veins and arteries knit together; the muscles reform and attach; and then the skin stitch together. He twitched as Adam spelled him again, soothing warmth surrounding his leg.

Kris sank down on the thick blanket of Adam’s bed. He twitched his ears, turning to look up at Adam.

“You’re going to be all right,” Adam said, stroking down his side and then scratching behind his ear.

Kris quivered and let out a soft keening sound, his limbs twitching in delight. He panted, raising his head into Adam’s touch, asking for more. Adam chuckled, scratching him behind his other ear.

“You are such a beauty,” he said, looking at Kris. “I’ve never seen a snow white fox before. What were you doing out in the Forbidden Forest? I thought snow fox lived in the Artic. You’re a long way from home.”

Kris made a sound in agreement. He sank back on Adam’s bed and let out a heavy sigh.

“You’ll stay here tonight and I’ll check your leg in the morning. You’re probably not domesticated so I can’t keep you…even though I wish I could.” Adam patted him gently on his rump and then laughed, standing up. Kris watched as Adam walked to his large wardrobe, opening it and pulling out a soft looking quilt. He created a nest by the fireplace and walked back to Kris. “Come on, let’s get you comfortable for the night.”

Kris whimpered a protest; he really wanted to snuggle with Adam on his bed. But he relaxed as Adam slipped him into his arms, carrying him slowly to the blanket on the floor. He put Kris down gently and fussed with his injured leg for a moment, making sure everything was okay. And then he covered Kris with part of the blanket, tucking it around Kris’s body.

“Have a good night, pretty boy,” Adam said, smiling at him for a long moment. “I’m glad I got to you when I did. I would’ve hated it if that black wolf got you.”

Kris huffed out a sound and pressed his muzzle against Adam’s hand, trying to convey his thanks.

“Well, you’re welcome,” he said, chuckling softly. “Get some rest.”

Kris watched as Adam untied his robe, taking it off and dropping it on the bed. He raised his head to gaze down the long body of the wizard, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. Whoa, he was pretty gorgeous. He watched as Adam gathered up his clothes, heading into the bathroom. He waited for the shower to start and Kris changed back to his human form, stifling a moan of pain with his hand as his leg reformed. He stared at it and touched it gingerly. Adam had fixed it properly but it still hurt.

Standing up but keeping his weight off his sore leg, Kris grabbed Adam’s robe and pulled it on and slipped out of Adam’s rooms, looking around the hallway to make sure no one saw him leaving Adam’s private rooms wearing nothing but a bathrobe. He ducked out of the room, closing the door silently behind him, and basically hopped on his good leg down the hallway to his own rooms.

 

*****

Kris looked at his leg. It was still a little swollen, but it felt better than the night before. He could put his weight on it now, but not by much. His leg still trembled when he tried to walk on it so he decided that he would limp through the day. He got dressed and pulled on his black robe, tucked his wand into the wand sleeve inside of his robe, and sighed as he left his private rooms, heading for the Great Hall.

He was slightly sweaty and winded by the time he got to the Great Hall for breakfast. He blushed a deep red when he noticed everyone looking at him. Kris made his way to the staff table and sat down, letting out a deep breath as he settled his leg.

“Professor Allen, are you injured?” Dumbledore said, leaning forward from his seat at the head table.

Kris chuckled, shaking his head. “I’m such a klutz. I seem to have, um, taken a fall and hurt my leg.”

He looked up to see Adam staring at him and Kris quickly dropped his glance, looking at his plate.

“Please visit Madame Pomfrey after breakfast, Kris,” Dumbledore said, looking at him.

Kris nodded, taking a deep breath. “Yes, Headmaster.”

He didn’t dare look up at Adam; he could feel the hard heat of his stare from across the table. Kris reached down and rubbed his leg, trying to keep his face from showing that it was starting to throb.

***

“Whoever healed your leg did a remarkable job,” Madame Pomfrey said as she examined his healing leg. “And you won’t even scar, Professor Allen.”

“Thanks,” he murmured, sighing. Of course Adam was going to be great at healing spells. He was the Advanced Transfiguration professor.

“I’m going to give you a couple of potions to help you with the pain and the swelling. Your leg should be back to normal by tomorrow morning. I recommend that you stay off the leg for the rest of the day. I’m sure the Headmaster will rearrange your teaching schedule today.”

Kris grinned, leaning back on the infirmary cot. “Well, I planned to coach the Ravenclaws today but I could give them extra time tomorrow afternoon to make it up.”

“That would be wise, Professor.”

Kris watched as she walked to her small cart, gathering up two small vials for him. “Aren’t you going to ask what happened?”

Madame Pomfrey smiled and looked at him. “You were injured in your animagus form and someone of great skill healed you before you changed back to your human form.”

Kris blinked. “How do you know that?”

She laughed, handing him the vials. “Oh Kristopher, this isn’t my first rodeo, as you Americans say.”

Kris fell back on the cot and laughed, long and hard, covering his face with his hand.

***

Kris limped out of the Infirmary and sighed, not really looking forward to making his way to the basement. It was going to be a long walk. He closed the door and walked carefully down the hallway and heard someone clear his throat behind him. He turned to see Adam leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest.

“So how did you hurt your leg, Allen?”

Kris gave a one shouldered shrug and limped away a little faster, his eyes wide. “Um, just, you know, Quidditch injury, not a big deal.”

“Really?” Adam said, stalking beside him. “You know, I rescued a snow fox in the Forbidden Forest last night while I was out for a run. A black wolf had his hind leg in his jaws by the time I got there. It’s kind of funny how it’s the same leg as your Quidditch injury there.”

Kris stopped and turned to look up at Adam. He watched as Adam stepped closer, leaning down to tuck his nose against Kris’s neck, inhaling deeply. Kris tensed and swallowed down a noise that he wanted to make. Adam stroked the tip of his nose up and down Kris’s neck, smelling him slowly. Kris bit his lip and turned his head slightly so he could smell Adam – that same clean citrus scent…and something else, deep down, a familiar scent of snow and earth and musk.

“You smell so good,” Adam whispered against his ear.

Kris gulped, panting slightly. “I’m a snow fox.”

Adam lifted his head to look into Kris’s eyes. “I can smell you; I don’t know why I didn’t notice it before.”

“I didn’t know…that he was you,” Kris said, feeling lame. “Thanks for saving my life.”

“I guess it’s kind of ironic that we get along better in our animagus forms than we do as we are,” Adam said, taking a step back and looking at Kris. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

Kris watched as Adam gave him a look over, blue eyes moving over him slowly, and turned to walk down the hallway. For some inexplicable reason, Kris wanted to run after him and apologize, but he wasn’t sure what he was apologizing for.

 

*****

Kris could sense the first snowfall before it came; his animagus running loose inside of him, aching to get out and run in the forest in the fresh snow. He was sad to lose the snow leopard as his nightly companion, but he understood that maybe Adam didn’t want to spend time with him. Kris jumped and pranced through the snow, diving into the snow bank and rolling around on his back, kicking his front paws and hind legs in joy. He let out a happy whoop and bit at the snow with his teeth, making a chuffing sound. He let out a sigh, looking out at all the white snow, panting softly. He wished his snow leopard friend would join him. He let out a disappointed whine, not able to share this with anyone, and started back towards the edge of the forest where he left his clothes and wand.

He came to a stop when he saw Adam standing in the courtyard, watching him. Kris ducked his head and walked closer to him, watching Adam carefully. He had avoided Kris for the past few weeks and this was the first time that Kris was alone with him. He sat down and looked up at Adam, letting his tongue hang out slightly. He gave a soft whine and lifted his front paw at Adam, pawing at the snow.

“I guess I’m not ready,” Adam said to him, his voice soft.

Kris let out a noisy sigh and nodded his head, giving a sad, throaty sound as he watched Adam walk back into the castle.

***

The castle was bustling with students and staff preparing to leave Hogwarts for the winter break. Kris decided to stay because he knew that a few of the Hufflepuff students were staying at school. He wandered into the staff lounge and froze, seeing Adam sitting on the long couch, grading students’ scrolls.

“Hi,” Kris said, warmly. “I didn’t know you were here for the holidays.”

Adam grinned at him and nodded. “I usually go back to California, but a few of the Slytherins are staying at school so I decided to stay.”

Kris raised his eyebrows and waved his hand to the couch and Adam nodded at him, moving some of the scrolls beside him so that Kris could sit down. “Have…have you been outside in the snow? It feels awesome.”

Adam paused in his grading and took a deep breath. “I went for a run last night.”

“Oh,” he murmured, looking at his hands. “We could still run together, you know. I mean, now that you know that I’m the snow fox. No reason to be alone, right?”

“As much as I…liked our time together, I’ve needed some solitary time in my animagus form,” Adam said, softly. Kris nodded slowly and nibbled at his lips. He watched as Adam shifted on the couch and looked at the dozen scrolls beside him.

“Can I help?”

“And do you know something about Advanced Transfigurations?” Adam said, his voice neutral.

Kris narrowed his eyes and smirked at Adam. “I took Advanced Transfigurations in my 5th year.”

“Fifth year?” Adam said, turning to look at him. “This is a sixth and seventh year course. It’s advanced theory—“

“Adam, why do you assume that I’m a dumb hick because I teach Quidditch?”

“I don’t think you’re a dumb hick,” he said, roughly.

Kris chuckled. “Wow, what a ringing endorsement. Hey, let’s go to Diagon Alley.”

“I have a ton of scrolls to grade—“

“Awww, come on, Adam, it’ll be fun! I wanted to check out the new Firebolts at Broomstix and we can go to Sugarplum’s Sweet Shop and maybe hang out in Muggle London,” Kris said, smiling at Adam.

“But I have to grade—“

“Let me help you grade and we can spend the rest of the day in London. Come on, Adam—“

“Ohmygod, you’re bouncing on the couch. You’re going to be like this until I agree, aren’t you?”

Kris laughed, reaching out to squeeze his hand on Adam’s shoulder. They both froze and Kris sighed, taking his hand away. “Um, sorry.”

“It’s all right.”

“So come on, are we going or what?”

Adam couldn’t stop his grin. He looked at Kris and sighed. “I really do need to grade these essays but if you help then we can go.”

“Give me the scrolls and a quill, man,” Kris said, making a show of rolling up his sleeves and flexing his fingers. Adam rolled his eyes and handed him a scroll and moved the quills and inkwell on the coffee table towards Kris with the toe of his boot. “You’re going to check my grading, aren’t you?”

“Yep.”

“You’re an ass,” Kris muttered, grinning widely.

***

“You didn’t have to review every single scroll I graded,” Kris complained as he followed Adam into the Leaky Cauldron, pulling his wand from his wand sleeve. He tapped the wall to open the passageway into Diagon Alley. “Especially when I wasn’t wrong.”

Adam laughed as he followed Kris, the stones of the wall closing behind them. “Well, I did have to read each student essay.”

Kris blew a raspberry. “You did not. You just wanted to make sure that I knew what I was doing. Admit it.”

Adam tucked his hands into his pockets and grinned.

“And you agreed with all of my—“

“All right, all right!” Adam said, laughing loudly.

Kris turned to look at the way that Adam’s face transformed when he laughed like that – blue eyes bright and mouth wide with amusement. He grinned to himself, biting his lip and looking at the stone pathway. “You know, that was the first time that you’ve actually let yourself have fun.”

“Well, maybe I’ve been unfair to you.”

“Hmmm…you do know how to hold a grudge,” Kris said, shrugging. He glanced up at Adam to see him still smiling.

Adam bent low to whisper against Kris’s ear, “maybe it’s just the Slytherin in me.”

Kris stopped abruptly and Adam bumped gently into him. He turned to look into the store window, flustered by his body’s reaction to the way Adam whispered in his ear. He curled his arms in front of his chest and blinked quickly. “I’ve always wanted one of these.”

Adam chuckled, standing close behind him. “You’ve always wanted to have women’s lingerie?”

“What? No. What?” Kris looked into the display and sighed, looking at the women’s underthings laid out on red velvet. He blushed hotly and turned to look up at Adam. “That’s mean.”

“As I said, it’s the Slytherin in me,” he said, smirking at Kris. “Come on, you wanted to see the newest brooms.” Kris nodded, smiling up at him. “Though, I have to admit that I do love the feel of silk and lace. Maybe we should go into Madame Velvet’s House of Lace—“

Kris barked out a laugh, looking up at Adam and giving him a friendly punch in the shoulder. Adam laughed again and grabbed his hand, stroking his thumb over the back of Kris’s hand before he released it.

***

“You were like a little kid,” Adam said, licking his ice cream cone. Kris couldn’t stop staring at the way that Adam’s tongue slid around and around the top of the cone. He clenched his stomach, his cock getting semi-hard, and he was grateful that his robes hid everything. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone get that excited or happy over brooms.”

“I’m really choosey about the quality of the broom between my legs,” he said and then blushed when Adam licked his ice cream cone, choking down his laugh. “You know what I mean.”

“I’m certain that I don’t,” Adam murmured, grinning at him over the top of his ice cream cone.

Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlor was in the heart of Diagon Alley and Kris loved sitting outside on the sidewalk café to people watch. Ever since he was 11-years old and he visited Diagon Alley for the first time, Kris was enchanted and in love. He could’ve attended an American wizarding school, but everyone knew about Hogwarts and knew what an honor it was to be able to attend it. Most students attended the wizarding school of their home, but Kris always knew he wanted adventure and when he received his Hogwarts letter, he couldn’t sleep for days because he was so excited.

Kris cleared his throat and took a bite of his banana split. “You know, I remember you, back when we were in school.”

“You do not,” Adam said, raising his eyebrow at him. “We weren’t even in the same year.”

“Not even close,” Kris said, nodding. “You were in 7th year and I was in 1st year. And you were a blond.”

Adam rolled his eyes. “There’s no way that you could remember that. I don’t even remember that.”

“Okay, I don’t really remember you. I was looking at our old annual books and looked at your picture,” he said, smiling. “But I do remember your singing voice.”

“Hmmm,” Adam murmured, licking around the cone.

“Want to do something fun?”

Adam looked at him. “I’m afraid to ask.”

“Let’s go into Muggle London and find a karaoke bar,” he said, sitting up and dropping his spoon in his bowl. He wiped his mouth with his napkin and grinned at Adam. “Come on, let’s go, it’ll be fun! And I want to hear you sing again.”

He watched Adam for a moment, taking his time as he licked his cone, his face neutral. Kris worried that something happened to Adam’s voice and that singing wasn’t something that he wanted to do. He tore at the napkin, dropping small pieces on the table.

“You really want to go to a karaoke bar, Allen?” Adam said, tilting his head slightly and biting the end of the cone.

Kris nodded, watching him. “Yeah.”

“Then for every song that I sing, you have to sing one, too,” Adam said, his blue eyes twinkling with mischief and challenge.

“All right,” he said, smiling and meeting the look in his eyes. “Bring it.”

***

Kris was drunk. He laughed as he fell to the carpet out of the fireplace, rolling to his back.

“God, I’m not taking you out anywhere ever again,” Adam groused, standing over him.

“You know, you sing real pretty, Adam.”

“Are you going to get off my carpet or are you planning to sleep it off there?”

Kris rolled onto his belly and laughed into the carpet. “I’m drunk.”

“I know,” Adam said, softly. Kris giggled when he felt Adam’s hands on his waist, trying to tug him off the floor. “Help me here, Allen.”

“No,” he drawled, closing his eyes and letting out a loud sigh. “Drunk!”

“Come on, Kris—“

“Oh! You said my name!” Kris said, eyes widening as he rolled onto his back to see Adam standing over him. “So are we friends now?”

“God, you really are cute but…come on, take my hands. I’ll help you to your room,” he said, holding out his hands for Kris to take.

Instead, Kris stretched on the carpet and dropped his arms over his head. “Why don’t you like me? You didn’t like me from the minute you met me. And you think me being the Quidditch coach is stupid and you think I’m stupid but I’m not, you know. I’m not stupid.”

“I don’t think you’re stupid.”

Kris blinked up at him. “Yeah, you do. You think I’m stupid and you only like the snow fox; but now that you know I’m the snow fox, you won’t change into your animagus form anymore to hang out with me at night.”

“That’s not…I do like you,” he said, softly, crouching down beside Kris.

“Prove it,” Kris challenged, smiling up at him.

Adam rolled his eyes. “What are we, 3rd years?”

Kris reached up and grabbed the front of Adam’s robe and jerked him down over him. Adam gasped, his hands going out catch his weight on his hands beside Kris’s shoulders. He pressed his mouth against Adam’s lips, licking at the corner of his mouth, asking for permission. He felt Adam tense over him but he didn’t pull away. Kris made a soft whimper that turned into a full on groan when Adam kissed him back, biting his top lip and sliding his tongue into Kris’s mouth.

Adam slipped a strong hand under his behind, the other going to the back of Kris’s neck. He moved up to his knees and sat back, nearly cradling Kris against him. Kris curled his arms behind Adam’s neck, clinging to him, letting Adam kiss him and have him. Kris arched into him, pressing his chest against Adam, one of his legs curling over Adam’s hip, trying to urge him closer.

“Kris…no, you’re drunk—“

“You should fuck me,” Kris said, moving towards Adam again, trying to kiss him. “I’m a really good fuck, you know.”

Adam pulled back, his eyes hooded. “Seriously, you’re drunk. Come on, let’s get you back to your room.”

“Don’t want to go to my room,” he drawled, falling on the carpet again and moving on his side to curl in on himself. Rejection really stung, drunk or not.

Adam sighed, his hand stroking down Kris’s back. “All right. Let me make up the couch for you. It’s pretty comfortable.”

Kris closed his eyes, burying his face into his arms, humiliated and horny and disappointed. He tasted bile in his mouth and he moved up on his elbows in time to open his mouth and throw up on Adam’s carpet.

“For God’s sake…”

Kris made a face and then lifted his eyes to see Adam standing nearby, his arms full with a thick quilt and two pillows. Kris laughed, seeing the disgusted look on Adam’s face, and passed out right into his own vomit.

*****

It wasn’t his most shining moment and that was why Kris avoided Adam as much as possible. He knew he owed Adam at least an apology, but Kris felt so stupid and then he felt kind of resentful for no reason and…it was best that he throw himself into something that would take his mind off of his little crush on Adam – because he could admit to himself that he had a crush on Adam…and he had to get over it.

You kissed him when you were drunk. Kris’s inner voice snarked.

Yeah, but it didn’t mean anything, did it? Kris insisted. I want him to like me. As a person.

Instead of what, as a plant? And you wonder why he thinks you’re nothing more than a gym teacher.

Quidditch is a sport! He hissed to…himself? Really?

Kris rolled his eyes and sighed. His inner voice sounded a lot like Severus Snape and that disturbed him on many different levels. But it was true, Adam had kissed him that first time outside of his classroom. Of course, it was during an argument but…and the night Kris was drunk and made a total idiot of himself, Adam had kissed him back. Kris didn’t know what to do so he threw himself into something that he understood without any doubts.

Kris got the students who stayed at Hogwarts to form impromptu Quidditch teams without regard to House affiliation. A few of the Hogwarts staff even joined in the fun and they played a rousing Round Robin of Quidditch games with Kris acting as referee. He laughed as he watched students who had never played the game hit the air on their brooms, zooming around him with the kind of love that was inevitably lost in the professionals when money, politics and winning became the players in the Pitch.

And this was one way for Kris to see the talents in students who normally wouldn’t have tried out for the teams. He had his eye on 5th year Brandon Tiffurt, who he thought would make an excellent Chaser for the Ravenclaw team next year and 3rd year Gloria McMillian, who was fearless and had the potential to be a Beater for the Hufflepuff team.

Kris pulled his broom towards the staff seats and grinned at Dumbledore. “Hey, Headmaster, enjoying the games?”

“What a lovely idea to have all the students play without House affiliation,” Dumbledore said, smiling at him.

“I’d like to set up some kind of afterschool activity where students not on teams can still play Quidditch,” Kris said, turning to clap his hands and cheering loudly as Betty Harlow, a 4th year Slytherin, threw the Quaffle into one of the rings. “Good job, Betty!”

“You won’t lack for volunteers,” Dumbledore said, chuckling softly. “And it will be good for students of different Houses to play on the same teams.”

“Yeah, I think so, too,” Kris said, nodding his thanks for Dumbledore’s approval. He pushed off the side of the stands and raced back up to the sky to be closer to the play.

***

Kris placed all of the Quidditch equipment into the store room and walked out into the snow, the Forbidden Forest and freedom calling to him. With a thoughtful sigh, Kris walked to the edge of the forest and started shucking out of his clothes. He dug his wand into the snow by the tree and shifted into his snow fox form, stretching out his hind legs one by one, a little sore from sitting on the broom for hours.

He loped across the forest floor, his paws sinking into the thick snow banks, and Kris jumped from snow bank to snow bank, enjoying the way his body just seemed to move into a deep sense of calm whenever he was in his animagus form.

With a happy yelp, Kris skipped through the forest to his favorite part of the clearing. He stared at all the lovely snow and jumped into the air, falling into a snow bank and rolling on his back, his thick Artic fur keeping him warm from any of the cold, not that he could feel it anyway. He sighed and just sank back into the snow, blinking up at the sky.

And then he caught the familiar scent. He leaned his head back and sniffed loudly, turning to see the snow leopard watching him just a few feet away. He must’ve followed Kris to the clearing and stayed behind him so that Kris wouldn’t have scented him in the wind. He must’ve watched Kris rolling on the snow and acting like a dork. He got to his feet and shook the snow from his fur, unable to keep the chuffing to himself. He cocked his head and stuck out his tongue, waiting for the snow leopard to do something.

After a long moment, the snow leopard walked the short distance between them. Kris made a curious whimper and the snow leopard playfully nudged the top of his head against Kris’s side. He gave a soft growl and Kris barked at him, jumping around the snow leopard. Kris stood in front of the snow leopard and leaned forward to lick his face. The snow leopard made a funny rumbly sound and turned to smack his tail in Kris’s face. He purred and looked over his shoulder at Kris, mouth parted. And then the snow leopard was off, dashing across the snow on strong legs. Kris barked his approval and gave chase.

It was nearing nightfall by the time Kris and the snow leopard stopped their run across the countryside. They found a cozy little cave and they settled down to snuggle. The snow leopard moved on his side to let Kris cuddle up close to him. Kris gave a soft sigh and leaned his head down on the snow leopard’s shoulder. The loud grumble of his stomach made their ears twitch and the snow leopard made a low purring laugh, turning to look at Kris. He licked the snow leopard’s cheek and got up on his feet. His stomach gave another loud rumble and they started their trot down the small hill back to Hogwarts.

When they came to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, the snow leopard stopped and turned to look at Kris. He moved closer and nuzzled him gently as Kris gave a soft whine of pleasure. The snow leopard licked his ear and huffed out a low throaty sound. Kris bit playfully at his tail as he passed. Kris watched as the snow leopard disappeared from his view and he turned, walking to where he had left his clothes and wand.

Quickly, he threw on his clothes and shoes, grabbed his wand, and ran across the snowy field to the main doors of Hogwarts. He made his way to the Great Hall and smiled to see Adam already sitting at the end of the table. Kris sat down beside him and grinned.

“Hi,” he said, looking at Adam’s mussed black hair and flushed cheeks. He looked so pretty like that; like he hadn’t even bothered going to his chambers to brush his hair.

Adam glanced at him, grinning slightly. “Hi.”

“I’m glad you…I was glad to see you,” he said, looking over at Adam to gauge his expression.

But Adam just smiled at him. “It was good.”

Kris breathed out a sigh of relief and he looked at his plate, requesting a steak, medium rare, with potatoes and asparagus. He and Adam ate silently and Kris wasn’t bothered by it; he enjoyed the companionship carried over from their animagus forms. By the time dinner was over, Kris wiped his mouth with the napkin and took a long drink of cold water. He cleared his throat and looked at Adam.

“About the other night…”

“It’s okay,” Adam whispered, looking at him. “You were drunk—“

“That’s not an excuse,” Kris said, taking a deep breath. “I’m not sorry for any of it.”

“Not even for throwing up on my favorite rug and then passing out in your own vomit so that I had to clean you up, put you into my bed, and make sure that you didn’t choke on your vomit in the middle of the night?” Adam said, his voice amused. “Not sorry for any of that?”

Kris glanced at him and was surprised to see him smiling at Kris. “Okay, I’m sorry for throwing up on your favorite rug and making you take care of me the rest of the night, but I’m not sorry for having fun with you all day and then kissing you.”

Adam chuckled, taking a deep breath. He gave Kris a sidelong glance. “Well, I suppose I can forgive you because you are exceptionally cute, Kris.”

Kris sat up and brightened, turning to smile at Adam. “You think I’m cute?”

He watched, fascinated, as Adam threw back his head and laughed.


	2. Chapter 2

Kris ran down the hall to Adam’s Advanced Transfiguration classroom, cursing under his breath because he was late. Seriously, he needed to invest in a watch or get a Remembrall or something. Adam was going to kill him. 

The holidays were over and the castle was bustling with students again, noise and commotion everywhere. Kris loved it when the castle was a madhouse; he loved all the quirky portraits and ghosts; he could still remember how he felt on his first day at Hogwarts and it still made his stomach flutter walking – in this case, running – through the halls. 

He slammed into Adam’s classroom, breathing heavily, and gave a wry and apologetic smile to Adam, who was standing at the front of the class, looking immaculate and gorgeous in his black professorial robe, blank leather pants, and dark burgundy shirt. Kris couldn’t stop smiling at the way that Adam had styled his hair with burgundy streaks – how did he get his hair to stay up in that wave, seriously? 

“Professor Allen, so nice of you finally join us,” Adam murmured, raising his eyebrow and shaking his head as the class of twelve 7th year students chuckled. 

“Hey, yeah, sorry,” Kris said, waving his hand and walking into the classroom. “I was on the Pitch and totally lost track of time.” 

Adam rolled his eyes but smiled to show that he wasn’t really annoyed. “Of course you did.” He turned to his students. “So, as I was saying – animagus transformation is all about your will to transform. You can’t choose your animagus form as your personality, your ‘self,’ dictates what you become.” 

“Professor Lambert,” one of the students called, holding her hand in the air. “Sir, is it true that animagi transformations can be performed wandless?” 

Adam nodded. “It is one of the very few forms of magic that can be performed wandless.” 

“How is that possible?” 

“We are all from the earth and as ‘magical’ as our magic may seem at times, it’s really controlled and focused energy from our environment. Every human is born with a bit this natural force, but only those who have the dominant resilient genes can control the properties of energy and force – what we call magic – and only those who have this control can perform wandless magic,” Adam said, simply. “As kids, we have wild magic. Don’t you remember when you could wish for something and it would happen? As kids, we performed a great deal of wandless magic, but it wasn’t something that we could control. As teens and as adults, we learn to control our magic by using a wand to guide and focus our energies. Wandless magic is possible when you are fully ready to tap into your energy and use your will to command it.” 

Kris hid his grin as the students stared up at Adam in awe. He was kind of awed himself, truth be told. Adam had such a wonderful quality to teach in a way that made learning something fascinating. It was like he was on a stage and just commanded everyone’s attention. 

“Sir, do you have an animagus form?” 

Adam smiled. “I do. I’m a snow leopard.” 

“Gorgeous one, too,” Kris murmured, blushing furiously when everyone turned to stare at him. 

“Couldn’t you show us your animagus form, Professor?” 

The students voiced their agreement, but Adam merely laughed and held up his hands. Kris smiled, leaning against Adam’s desk, watching him. He was fascinating to watch; like he was on a stage or something. All of the students kept their eyes on Adam.

“Actually, Professor Allen has graciously volunteered to transform into his animagus form so that I’d be able to continue the lesson without having to switch back and forth. Later, we’ll break into small groups to work with you on your animagi transformation.” 

The students buzzed with excitement and Adam beckoned him to the front of the class. Kris made his way to the table, taking off his professorial robe, handing it to Adam. 

“Shall I hold your wand for you?” 

Kris pulled his wand from his sleeve and paused, looking up at Adam. Of course he _trusted_ Adam, but years of being taught to never surrender his wand to another was ingrained in him. Slowly, he held out his wand to Adam and watched as Adam took it from him gently, a smile on his face. 

“Thank you,” he said, acknowledging Kris’s trust with a nod of his head. “Class, you saw that Professor Allen hesitated before giving me his wand. Remember this: Only give up your wand to someone you trust and even then it’s never an easy thing to surrender your wand. For Professor Allen to give me his wand shows a tremendous form of trust and I’m humbled by that.” He grinned at Kris. “When you’re ready.” 

He faced the class and smiled, willing into his snow fox form. 

His clothes and shoes dropped around him and Kris crawled out backwards from his shirt, flicking his ears and his tail as he looked up at the students, who were all standing up on their chairs trying to get a good look at him. 

“Professor Allen, why don’t you jump up on the table so that the class can see you,” Adam said, chuckling softly. 

Kris leaped gracefully on top of the table and sat down on his rump, looking out at the class. He was pretty amused by the students and spent a few minutes grooming himself with his front paw. 

“Awww, he’s so pretty, can we pet him?” One of the girls said, the others giggling. 

Kris stopped grooming himself and let out a short bark, sitting up straight and pulling back his ears in warning. _Really? Could they pet him?_

“Professor Allen is not a pet,” Adam said, taking a serious tone. “Even in his animagus form, he retains his personality, his intelligence, and his humanity. He is _not_ an animal. He is a thinking, rational human being wearing the form of his animagus.” 

“Professor Lambert, is it true that a person’s animagus form is the same as their Patronus form?” 

Adam smiled. “Very good question and the answer is no, not always. There is a good chance that your Patronus can be the same as your animagus, but not necessarily. It depends on the individuality of the wizard or witch.” 

“How is it possible to transform? How does our magic determine our forms?” 

Kris moved to curl on his side, tail flicking up and down on the table, as he gazed at the students. He looked up at Adam and let his tongue loll out of his mouth as he playfully started to swat at Adam’s long robe sleeve with his front paws. The students laughed at his antics and he gazed up to see Adam staring at him with his eyebrow raised. 

“As you can see, Professor Allen is still his old self,” Adam murmured, chuckling softly. 

He butted his head against Adam’s hand. 

“Professor Allen,” Adam warned, giving him a look. 

Kris let out a pitiful sounding whine and pressed his head against Adam’s hand again. 

“Oh for—fine.” 

Kris let out a pleased noise as Adam scratched his head, behind his ear. Kris chuffed out a laugh and stretched out along the top of the table, completely enjoying the attention of Adam and the class. 

“I think you’re far more tolerable as a snow fox than as a wizard,” Adam said, smiling down at him. 

Kris swiped his clawed paw at Adam’s robe, scratching a line on the immaculate fabric, and letting out a bark that made the class laugh. Adam stared at the mark on his robe and gasped, glaring down at Kris. 

“This was my favorite robe, Professor Allen!” 

He expressed his amusement by getting back on his paws and sitting down, grooming his face and whiskers, feeling completely justified. 

“Do not forget that I still have your wand.” 

Kris knew it was an empty threat and he ducked his head and gave Adam his best pout, eyes wide and playful. 

Adam merely snorted and shook his head, laughing. He turned to face the class and let out a soft sigh. “All right, now that Professor Allen has provided us with a little bit entertainment, let’s get back on track with the lesson for today. I hope you all did your readings the night before on transformation theories.” 

Various students groaned and fussed, but they settled down, getting out their books. 

“We’re going to do a little bit of wand work in class today, simple techniques based on the three major theories of transformation,” Adam said, walking around the classroom. “This is really a first year lesson so all of you should be able to accomplish it without any problem. In front of you is a cup. Please take a moment and transform it into a different object.” 

“Of our choice, Professor Lambert?” 

“Sure, why not.” 

Kris looked out at the class to see each of them transfer the cup into different things – a mirror compact, a small vase, a Quaffle ball, a quill holder. 

“Very good,” Adam said, coming back to the front of the class. “Now, of the three transformation theories, which one did you apply for your object? Let’s go around the room.” 

Kris felt the discussion move around him; and soon, he was a little sleepy and let out a yawn before sprawling across the top of the table. He blinked at the students, smiling inside when they hurried to open their scrolls, jotting down notes from the lecture as Adam walked around the room, keeping his eyes on Kris the whole time. 

*** 

“Hey.” 

Kris opened his eyes and blinked up at Adam. He stretched his limbs and let his tongue stick out of his mouth on a long yawn. He looked around the classroom to see that all the students had gone, the door closed, and it was just the two of them. 

“You can transform back. I’ll give you some privacy if you—“ 

Kris transformed and grinned, watching as Adam’s eyes dropped to look at Kris’s naked body and then widen, frantically looking away and turning his back. 

“Don’t need any privacy,” Kris said, jumping off the table and walking to his clothes. He pulled on his briefs. “That was a cool class, Adam. Thanks for asking me to help out. I always loved my Advanced Transformation classes.” 

“Classes?” Adam said, fiddling with something on his desk. 

“I wasn’t lying when I said that I took Advanced Transformation in my 5th year and then I took Advanced Level 2 in 7th year,” he said, pulling on his tee-shirt and slipping his feet into his sneakers. “I learned how to transform to my animagus form in 5th year – I wasn’t even trying and pop, I did it.” 

“That’s—that’s actually pretty impressive for a 5th year – well, for anyone, really,” Adam murmured, glancing over his shoulder to see that Kris was dressed again. He turned and sighed, leaning against the edge of his desk. “Thank you for doing this, Kris.” 

“Any time,” he said, smiling widely. “Hey, can I ask you a question?” 

“Of course.” 

“Do you change your hair color with your outfits?” 

“Do you actually notice?” 

Kris grinned and gave a half shrug. “Sure.” 

Adam stared at him for a long moment and then burst into a loud peel of laughter. He shook his head and then laughed again. “Actually, I do. And my nails, too.” He held up his hands and showed Kris the dark burgundy-black polished nails. “And toenails when I feel like it.” 

“Cool, I was just curious. You always look really good.” He pulled on his professorial robe and patted himself down, wondering where Adam tucked his wand. He glanced up to see Adam staring at him, his mouth parted in surprised. 

“Here,” he said, handing Kris his wand. 

“Thanks,” Kris said, accepting his wand and tucking it under his sleeve. “So, you want to go for a run after dinner or something?” 

“It’s a date.” 

*** 

Kris knocked on Adam’s door on the way to dinner. They had been meeting together for weeks now, easing into a friendship that made Kris nervous and giddy at the same time. He heard Adam’s steps behind the door and grinned, looking up at Adam’s hair. It was smoothed back and in a classic pompadour, but there was a streak of emerald green to go with the dark green silk shirt he was wearing under his robes. 

“Seriously. How much time do you take to match your hair color to your clothes?” 

Adam gave him a look and glanced at Kris’s hair. “Well, at least I brush my hair.” 

Kris touched his windblown hair, trying to pat it down as Adam closed his door, stepping into the hallway. “I was on the Pitch and it was windy. And I even used moisturizer on my face!” 

“Yeah, probably some cheap Muggle brand.” 

“There’s nothing wrong with cheap Muggle brands.” 

Adam sighed. “At least let me buy you some properly milled French cream.” 

“Forget it, man! My face is fine.” 

“I agree.” 

He quirked his lips into a smile when Adam laughed. “Your eye make-up looks great.” 

Adam strolled beside Kris and made a thoughtful noise. “You don’t have to compliment me every time you see me. I’m not that shallow or vain.” 

“I know, but you like getting compliments.” 

Adam opened the faculty entrance to the Great Hall and waved for Kris to step through first. “Want to play some wizards chess tonight? Severus said that he’d join us for tea and be available to play the winner.” 

“Sure,” he said, taking his seat and hiding his smile when Adam sat down next to him. Ever since their truce, Adam sat next to Kris at meals or during staff meetings. 

They both greeted the other professors and Kris took a sip of his pumpkin juice. 

“Tomorrow, I’m going to be working individually with my 7th years to help them with their transformations. Would you have some time to help?” 

Kris nodded, smiling widely. “Yeah, sure, let me just check my schedule and I’ll be available, okay?” 

“Great.” 

He bit his lip, trying not to let the smile on his face become any wider as he basked in Adam’s good will towards him. He was itching to get back into Muggle London their next free weekend and he hoped that Adam would accompany him. He just wanted to see Adam loosen up a little; to see him outside of school where they were constantly watched by several hundred students, professors, gossiping portraits, magical beings, and Dumbledore. Kris knew that Adam was reserved and professional, in keeping with Adam’s Slytherin values, and Kris respected that – no, he really did – but he just wanted to see Adam have a little fun away from prying eyes. 

It still made him blush whenever he remembered their last outing to Muggle London; and how Kris had drunkenly threw himself at Adam. He also remembered that Adam had kissed him twice now and…maybe the third time would be the charm. Kris really hoped so. 

*** 

Kris was high in the air, watching the Gryffindor team practice. He propped his foot on top of his broom, keeping his balance steady, taking mental notes on how he could help the team with their on-air strategies. As the final two teams headed for the finals, Kris was willing to give up his Saturday and Sunday mornings to coach each team individually. Tomorrow morning, he would give the Slytherin team his undivided attention.

Gryffindor Captain Harry Potter flew up by his side and hovered next to him, his face windblown red and flushed with exertion. “Hey Professor Allen.” 

“The team is looking really good these days. I think you guys might stand a chance against Slytherin in the finals.” 

Harry snorted. “Thanks for your vote of confidence.” 

“I’m just saying don’t get too arrogant.” 

“Sir, we’re Gryffindors, we don’t get arrogant.” 

Kris gave him a look and raised his eyebrow as Harry turned beet red. “Why aren’t you down with the rest of the team?” 

“I think it’s great that the professors come out to watch us practice,” he said, a sly tone to his voice. “I mean, Professor Snape doesn’t bother coming out to watch _us_ but Professor Lambert sits on the stands at almost every practice – that’s what everyone says.” 

“Potter, are you gossiping with me?” Kris teased, laughing slowly. 

“No, no,” Harry laughed stupidly and then cleared his throat. “Just that…I think it’s great that you and, uh, Professor Lambert are…getting along?” 

Kris looked down into the stands to see Adam’s dark hair and what looked like electric blue streaks in his hair. 

“Don’t gossip about faculty, dude, that’s just…weird.” 

“Right,” Harry said, turning red. “Well, I’ll just…” He waved as he flew back down towards the Pitch. 

Kris moved his broom lower towards the stands, hovering near the edge to smile at Adam. “Enjoying the show?” 

Adam leaned forward, his smile wide and beautiful. “Just checking out the competition, Allen. You’re really good with the teams. My Slytherins tell me that you’re the fairest coach they’ve ever had.” 

Kris rolled his eyes but was pleased by the compliment. “Yes, well it’s true that all the girls do think I am pretty.” 

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.” 

“You don’t think I’m pretty?” 

Adam gave him a look and arched his eyebrow. 

“They’re not seasoned pros, but some of them will be recruited by the professional teams,” he said, smiling. “I was going to ask Dumbledore if I could invite a few scouts from the American teams to visit during the finals. I’ve been sending holograms of a few players that I think could make it in the pros.” 

“That’s very generous of you. Are you thinking of going back to playing professional Quidditch after the school year ends?” 

“I’m not sure yet. I did get a few owls the other day asking if I’d be interested to playing in the new season but…I was actually thinking of taking some time off so I could, uh, well, maybe keep teaching here.” 

Adam nodded, but he didn’t say anything about that. Kris sighed internally. He was trying to figure out a way to address staying around longer so he could be closer to Adam, but he didn’t know a good way to say that without coming off as pathetic and needy. And from Adam’s silence, Kris thought that maybe Adam didn’t him staying was a good idea. 

“Anyway, let’s go to Madam Puddifoot’s in Hogsmeade for coffee after lunch. You wanna?” 

“Did you just ask me out on a date, Professor Allen?” 

“Yes?” 

“You’re not sure.” 

“How come you always got to bust my balls?” 

Adam grinned, tilting his chin upwards slightly. “Perhaps because you need it.”

Kris met his eyes and took a deep breath. It was time to be a man about this. “Yes, an official date, and I’m definitely sure. I’ll even pay.” 

“Yes, I’d love to get some coffee after lunch.” 

“Really? I mean, great, yeah that’s great! How about 2 o’clock?” 

Adam raised his eyebrow. “I’ll meet you—“ 

“No, no, I’ll knock on your door.” 

“Professor Allen, we need you to make a call on this play!” 

Kris turned to see Potter waving for his attention. He grinned at Adam, putting his foot on the edge of the stands. “Catch you later, okay? Glad you came to watch practice! Bye Adam!” 

He pushed off and flew towards the Gryffindors, the sound of Adam’s warm laughter in his ears. 

*** 

“It seems you and Professor Lambert are getting along better these past few weeks,” Professor Dumbledore mentioned as they walked through the hallway. 

Kris blushed and made a face. “We’re working on our friendship.” 

“Oh, Professor Allen, I should let you know that the Ministry of Education contacted me about your school term contract,” Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling behind his eyeglasses. “If you wanted to renew your contract then please come by my office to sign it and I’ll owl it off right away.” 

“Thank you, Professor,” he murmured, biting his lip. “I’ll think it over very carefully.” 

“Yes, I’m sure you’ll make the right decision, my boy.” 

Kris watched the old wizard doddle off and he closed his eyes and grinned, shaking his head. Dumbledore was and would always be the biggest busybody Kris had ever met. 

It seemed that everyone had something to say about his “date” with Adam. 

_”…hear about their date…”_

_“…going to Puddifoot’s…”_

_“…think that Professor Allen is in love with…”_

_“…so dreamy…”_

_“…not good enough for Professor Lambert…”_

_“…but he’s so pretty…”_

Kris stared ahead and tried to ignore the students’ gossip. 

Snape caught him as he was leaving the faculty lounge, the only place in the castle where Kris could actually hide. He loomed over Kris, arms crossed, a stern look on his face. For just a second, Kris felt like a lowly third year and he winced. 

“I do not usually pry into the romantic liaisons of the professors here,” Snape drawled, raising his eyebrow. “But as the Head of Slytherin, I must insist on knowing your true intentions.” 

He squinted. “You mean, me and Adam having coffee together kind of intentions?” 

“Yes.” 

“Oh! We’re just going to Madam Puddifoot’s. It’s just a coffee date, you know, nothing major. Don’t listen to the stupid gossip going around. Okay, well, I got to go to the…uh….to the Pitch so see you later, Severus!” 

He barely escaped that conversation and ran right into another one that was just as unavoidable. 

Professor McGonagall took one look at his face and patted his shoulder. “It’s difficult to maintain a private and personal life in the castle, Professor Allen, but I have faith that you and Professor Lambert will be able to manage quite well.” 

“Uhh…thank you?” 

Kris decided to take the coward’s way out and had the kitchens send up lunch to his rooms. A few minutes later, someone knocked on his door and he grimaced when he saw Adam, red-faced, standing on the other side. 

“Get in here, quick before anyone sees!” 

Adam rushed in and shut the door, pulling his wand from his sleeve and saying a quick lock spell. Then, he put a bubble of silence around the entire room. 

“That’s really paranoid,” Kris mentioned, looking at him. 

“After the morning I’ve had, I think I’m allowed a little paranoia.” 

“People asking you about the date.” 

“Worse. Teenage girls making these…lovey faces at me and sighing every time I walked past them.” 

He watched as Adam fell into an armchair, his hands covering his face. “How did they find out? It’s not like we announced it,” he looked up at Kris. “Did we?” 

“No.” 

“Can I have lunch here with you? It was getting a little creepy with everyone – including the other professors – staring at me at the table.” 

Kris smiled. “Of course.” 

Adam put in his lunch order with the kitchen elves and they sat in awkward silence as neither spoke. Kris thought of a dozen topics to start, but every time he opened his mouth to say something, Adam was looking away or staring at his plate. 

“Do you…should we postpone?” 

“Are you kidding?” Adam said, eyes widening. “After everything – do you think the gossip will get any better if we _don’t _have our date?”__

__Kris winced._ _

__“You know,” Adam said, looking over at him. “Hurry up and eat; we’ll get to Puddifoot’s now while everyone is still having lunch and that way, we’ll have a few moments of privacy before everyone runs down to Hogsmeade to stare at us through the windows.”_ _

__They quickly finished their food. Kris grabbed his cloak and they stopped by Adam’s rooms so that he could get his. They hurried through the castle and ran down High Street, panting breathlessly as they both winced from the sound of the tinkling bell announcing their presence. Kris looked around and made a sound of relief to see that no one from Hogwarts was there. A few people from the village turned to look at them, but went back to their own tea cups and conversations._ _

__Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop was still pretty tacky on the inside, but it was the only place in Hogsmeade that sold coffee. Madam Puddifoot knew that the two professors from the Colonies loved their coffee and always kept a fresh stash for them. Kris could withstand the little tea cups and the lace doilies decorating the small tables and booths for a good strong cup of coffee._ _

__“You know, when I retire, maybe I can franchise a Starbucks here.”_ _

__“I’ll be your business partner,” Adam said, chuckling. “Let’s sit over there.’_ _

__Adam found a table in the back that was furthest from the large bay windows. They hung their cloaks on the coat tree and sat down. While Adam was well disguised by the coats, Kris was still pretty visible, so he got up and moved around so that he was sitting on the same side as Adam._ _

__“What—there’s not enough room—“_ _

__“Shhh! Just move over.”_ _

__Kris grinned at him, turning his head so that he could meet Adam’s amused expression and look at his rosy cheeks._ _

__“That was kind of fun.”_ _

__Adam laughed, throwing back his head and letting out a deep and musical sound. He sighed and leaned into the corner of his booth, gazing at Kris. “You have an interesting definition of fun.”_ _

__“Hello, lads,” Madam Puddifoot said, walking towards them. Kris loved her like a second mother; in a lot of ways, she reminded him of his mom. She wasn’t particularly tall, had a full and round face with her shiny black hair tied back in a bun. Madam Puddifoot didn’t look at his mom, quite the opposite, but she had always treated him with kindness and warmth ever since his first year at Hogwarts. “Coffee, is it?”_ _

__“Yes, please. Two? With creams and sugars?”_ _

__“Of course. Anything else, m’dears? Perhaps a little marmalade biscuit or a lemon thicket?”_ _

__Kris looked over at Adam, who looked doubtful. “Come on, live a little.” He turned to Madam Puddifoot. “We’ll take one of each and share.”_ _

__“Lovely,” she said, smiling at them. “I’ll be right back with everything.”_ _

__“Thank you.”_ _

__“I’m glad you decided to go on a date with me.”_ _

__Adam grinned. “You’re persistent.”_ _

__“You’re worth it.”_ _

__“You’re a charming little talker.”_ _

__Kris blushed. “I’m actually not; I’m kind of a dork, if you haven’t already figured it out by now.”_ _

__Adam leaned in close, his lips brushing the top of Kris’s ear. “I think you’re adorable.”_ _

__“Now you’re just playing with me.”_ _

__When he turned to look at Adam, he found Adam staring at him, his lips curved into a small smile._ _

__“I would like to, yes. Are you offering, Kris?”_ _

__“What? But—you—all this time—when—“_ _

__Adam laughed softly. “Could I have that in a proper sentence, Professor Allen?”_ _

__“I didn’t think you wanted me…like that…or like, in any way…that…uh…”_ _

__“Do I really make you this tongue-tied?”_ _

__“Yeah.”_ _

__Adam placed his hand on Kris’s leg, just a gentle touch. “You don’t have to be nervous with me.” He smiled and sat back against the booth seat. “I guess it’s partly my fault for being so hot and cold with you. I didn’t _want_ to like you because I knew you were only here for a year and I’m dedicated to teaching at Hogwarts. And I didn’t want this to become some kind of spectacle for everyone at school. I mean, I hate gossip and I didn’t want everyone to think—“ _ _

__“It’s okay, I totally get it—“ Kris said, feeling the sting of rejection again._ _

__“—no, listen, please,” he said, squeezing Kris’s leg with his hand. “I realized that it’s stupid of me to try and keep you at a distance because of my own insecurities. I kept thinking that if we got involved and you left at the end of the school term that it wouldn’t work out, that long distance never really works. But we’re wizards and we have magic; I could always use the Floo to go to you or you could come here. I could Apparate and join you back in the US for weekends and holidays. It’s not an impossible idea.”_ _

__Kris felt his heart beat increase with hope. He smiled at Adam, his cheeks starting to ache._ _

__“So if you want to try dating and getting in—“_ _

__He couldn’t resist, he just had to kiss Adam. He turned on the seat and wrapped one arm behind Adam’s neck, his other hand sliding up the side of Adam’s neck and curling into the thickest part of his hair, holding him still so that he could taste Adam’s lips and lick into his mouth._ _

__“Yes, whatever you want, yes,” Kris whispered, in between kisses._ _

__Adam kissed him back, thorough and sweet, his arms tugging Kris closer, he was nearly curled on Adam’s lap._ _

__“Now, really, lads, a little decorum,” Madam Puddifoot admonished, rapping her knuckles on the table._ _

__Kris reluctantly let Adam go and wiped his lips as he grinned at Adam, both of them settling on the seat in a more polite distance. Adam was blushing and neither of them could stop smiling._ _

__“Our apologies, Madam Puddifoot,” Adam said, bowing his head slightly._ _

__Madam Puddifoot placed their coffees and desserts on the table. She clucked her tongue and chuckled at them._ _

__“I wouldn’t normally spoil the fun of two lovebirds, but I didn’t think you wanted an audience,” she said, nodding to a group of Hogwart students standing outside with their hands against the windows, peering inside._ _

__“Thanks, Madam Puddifoot,” Kris said, ducking lower in his seat._ _

__“Not to worry, dears, I’ve put a little invisible bubble on this booth – something I offer to my more amorous customers, if you will. It’ll be like this little area doesn’t even exist so go on and keep doing whatever you two were doing before I interrupted,” she whispered, giving them both a tarty wink._ _

__Adam giggled, curling his arm around Kris’s shoulders, pulling him closer. Kris tucked his forehead against Adam’s shoulder and shook his head._ _

__“We’re never going to get any peace, are we?”_ _

__Adam stroked the back of his neck and Kris sighed, melting against him. “Never again.” He paused for a moment. “Wait, are you staying at Hogwarts?”_ _

__“Yes,” he said, lifting his head to meet Adam’s surprised expression. “Dumbledore told me earlier that the Ministry offered to renew my contract for another school term. I’m going to stay, Adam.”_ _

__“That’s fantastic,” he said, hugging Kris close. “Oh god, no.”_ _

__“No?” Kris said, sitting up and staring at Adam, eyebrows furrowed. “What’s wrong?”_ _

__“Shhh, come here,” Adam whispered, pulling Kris closer against him. He pointed to the group of students who had walked into the tea shop, looking around eagerly. Kris ducked down in his booth._ _

__“Do they see us?”_ _

__“No, they don’t even know that we’re here. Thank Merlin for Madam Puddifoot’s spell work,” Adam whispered against Kris’s ear, making him shiver against Adam’s warm chest. “Stop that. Don’t get me horny here.”_ _

__Kris licked his lips and gazed up at Adam. “Speaking of…how about we try to sneak out of here and go back to your rooms?”_ _

__“Yes.”_ _

__“Oh wait, let me just finish my coffee and try this lemon thicket thing—“_ _

__Adam muffled his giggle against Kris’s shoulder as Kris picked up his coffee mug and breathed in the scent of hazelnut coffee._ _

__“You’re going to choose coffee over spending time in my bed, baby?”_ _

__Kris froze, coffee cup almost at his mouth. He glanced over at Adam and saw a wicked, teasing look on his face. Kris took a quick sip of his coffee and set it down, looking around to see the students standing outside the front of the tea shop, seemingly having a very intense discussion. He and Adam got out of the booth and grabbed their cloaks._ _

__“Come this way, dears, and use the door from the kitchens,” Madam Puddifoot said, waving her hand to the back of the tea shop._ _

__Kris stopped and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, I owe you one.”_ _

__“There’s no doubt of that, is there?” She said, chuckling._ _

__They peeked out from the back door and hurried away from the tea shop, taking the back alley to cut across the village to Hollyhog Row and then back up to Hogwarts. Kris looked around to make sure that there weren’t any students around and reached out to slip his hand around Adam’s hand, their fingers slipping together as if they had always held hands. He smiled and looked up to see Adam smiling as well._ _

__“Hey,” Kris said, stopping and pulling Adam back._ _

__“What is it?”_ _

__He stood up on the toes of his boots and pressed a kiss to Adam’s lips. “Just wanted to do that because I can.”_ _

__“Okay,” Adam murmured, letting go of Kris to curl both of his hands around Kris’s cheeks, leaning down to give him a long, steamy kiss, his tongue moving between his lips and licking his tongue and the roof of his mouth with long, slow strokes. Kris clung to Adam’s cloak and moaned into the kiss._ _

__Adam pulled back and smirked at him. “Just wanted to do that because I can.”_ _

__“Competitive bastard,” he croaked, licking his lips and grinning._ _

__Adam laughed and curled his arm around Kris’s shoulders, holding him close. “Well, I _am_ a Slytherin.” _ _

__

__TBC…_ _


	3. Chapter 3

“Come on,” Kris pleaded, grabbing for any part of Adam he could reach, trying to urge him for harder, for faster, for more.

 

Adam pressed him back down on the bed, his chest slick with sweat against Kris’s back, wet lips nipping his earlobe. “Not yet.”

 

“What do you mean not yet?” Kris said, groaning throatily. He clenched his teeth and grabbed fistfuls of the bed sheets as he wriggled his hips back against Adam’s cock, trying to get him to move inside of him.

 

A part of him was pleased when Adam groaned, muffling the sound by biting Kris’s shoulder. “Fucking…stop moving.”

 

“But I want it,” he whined, wriggling again. “ _Please_. Come on!”

 

He heard Adam laugh against his skin, his whole body shaking against Kris. He arched against Adam, pressing his hips back, his ass snug against Adam’s pelvis. He had no leverage, legs pressed apart with Adam’s knees holding him apart and down. Kris buried his face against the sheets and squeezed his throbbing stretched muscles around Adam’s cock, smirking when Adam lurched against him, a surprised reaction, and did it again just to feel Adam thrust into him, brushing against his prostate.

 

“You little insatiable tease,” Adam said, chuckling and kissing Kris’s neck. “Do that again.”

 

“Start moving and maybe I will,” he countered, gasping when Adam grabbed a handful of his sweat wet hair, pulling his head back and to the side to give him a wet and sloppy kiss.

 

Kris pulled away, his neck aching from the position and needing to catch his breath. He blinked up at Adam and saw that his make-up was smeared across his face, messy bangs sticking to his forehead, and pupils black outlined in a halo of pale blue.

 

“Please,” he whispered, licking his teeth-bitten lips. “Please, Adam, please.”

 

Adam kissed him again and released him so that Kris fell back against the bed, panting against the damp sheets. He felt Adam’s hands move down his sides, knees pressing his thighs apart even more as he sat back, grabbing Kris’s hips and pulling him backwards so that he was tucked up on his knees.

 

“Oh yes,” Kris breathed, pushing back against him. He loved being in this position; loved how he could reach between his legs for his own cock and stroke himself while Adam fucked him.

 

“I wanted to take my time with you,” Adam husked, thrusting into Kris hard and twisting his hips that sent a streak of pleasure through Kris’s spine, making his thighs tremble. He moaned into the bedding, one hand reaching up to press against the headboard. “But I can see that you need it hard, yeah?”

 

“Yeah!” Now they were getting with the program.

 

Adam growled, his fingers squeezing on Kris’s hips. He gave another hard thrust with his hips, driving Kris right into the bed, his cock rubbing against the smooth sheets and making Kris bite his lip at the rush.

 

_“—just want to be rode hard like—“_

 

And…

 

_“—fuck you with my cock—“_

 

Then…

 

_“—make you come—“_

 

“Yes! Yes, that, all of that!”

 

Kris barely heard Adam talking, ears burning from the smut that dripped out of his mouth, and Kris agreed to all of it. He reached up with his other hand, pushing against the headboard to counter Adam’s thrusts, the bed slamming into the wall with the hard, thorough rhythm that Adam set for them. He squeezed his eyes shut, mouth open and drooling a little down his chin as Adam slipped closer, knees tucking together as he pressed his weight down Kris’s back as his hips slapped against his ass, his cock shuttling over Kris’s prostate with every movement.

 

“Please…Adam…touch…me… _ohhhhhh_ …”

 

He panted and let out a squeal of delight when he felt Adam’s hand wrap around his cock, stroking him in time with his thrusts, and Kris felt his eyes roll back as he gave himself over to pleasure, to Adam’s cock, to his hand, to everything Adam gave him.

 

Adam moaned loudly, shuddering against his back, his sounds of pleasure sending chills down Kris’s body, making him blush at how utterly _pornographic_ Adam sounded as he came inside of Kris, holding his hips arched and up, pleasure echoing through them both.

 

Kris giggled, rubbing his face against the bed. “Ohmygod…”

 

He inhaled sharply when he felt Adam gently pull his cock from inside his ass, the quick murmur of a cleaning spell making Kris groan, and Adam’s gentle hands pulling and pushing Kris on his side, Adam tucked behind him with his arm wrapped around his chest.

 

“Mmmmm…” Adam licked his ear. “Put away wet, just like you wanted.”

 

Kris snorted. “Can’t move, can’t talk now, need sleep.”

 

“You know, I can give you some Enervate and you can fuck me this time,” Adam murmured, nipping down the side of his neck.

 

Kris turned and saw the wide and naughty smile on Adam’s lips. He rolled his eyes and kissed Adam’s mouth. “Or you can give me like fifteen minutes and we can go again.”

 

“Fifteen minutes? Mmmm…that long? What on earth am I going to do waiting for you to recover?”

 

He sucked in a breath when he felt Adam’s cock getting harder against the back of his thigh. “Geez, Adam, did you take something? That’s not normal!”

 

Adam snickered. “All because of you, baby.”

 

“Ohmygod,” he said, chuckling. “You’re a terrible man.”

 

“By terrible you mean incredible and you’ve never had anyone better than me ever.” Adam said, softly, stroking the back of Kris’s neck with his nose, dropping kisses to his shoulder.

 

Kris settled back into Adam’s arms and smiled. “Exactly.”

 

Adam chuckled, tucking his leg between Kris’s thighs and holding him closer. “You get ten minutes to recover and we’re going again. But until then, I just want to roll around the bed and snuggle with you.”

 

“I didn’t know Slytherins like to cuddle,” he teased.

 

“Just because I’m Slytherin doesn’t mean that sex with me is about blood and pain,” Adam said, biting Kris’s earlobe sharply in punishment.

 

“Ow! Hey!”

 

He felt Adam’s arms tighten around him. “It just means that I’m possessive and jealous and like it a little rough, but I’m mostly pretty vanilla.”

 

Kris opened his eyes and turned his head to stare at Adam, his mouth dropping open in disbelief. “Vanilla? You call _that_ vanilla? I’m going to have finger marks and teeth marks and bruises for days.”

 

Adam arched his eyebrow. “Did you not hear the part about me being possessive?”

 

“Well,” he said, smiling shyly. “I like it; wasn’t complaining or anything like that.”

 

“I know, baby,” Adam whispered, kissing him gently. “Later, you can hold me down and fuck me; and then we’ll eat some dinner and go for a run through the Forbidden Forest in our Animagi forms; and then tonight, I’ll tie you to my bed and show you what it’s really like to be loved by a Slytherin.”

 

Kris shivered and swallowed thickly. “Ummm…”

 

“Don’t be afraid, I’ll take good care of you, Kristopher.”

 

***

 

The rest of the school year seemed to fly by. Kris appreciated that Adam wanted to remain polite and aloof in front of the school, to keep down the gossip and stay out of the crosshairs of overly curious students and professors alike. But when they were in their Animagi forms, they would run and romp in the Forest, yipping happily with each other, enjoying their freedom with giddiness. At nights, Kris found himself visiting Adam’s rooms for their usual late night talks and more hands on _demonstrations_ of what it was like to be loved by a Slytherin. Kris wasn’t sure if he was going to live through any more practicals; Adam would surely kill him with too much pleasure. On weekends, they would Apparate from Hogsmeade to various cities – Muggle London for karaoke (Kris), Wizarding Berlin for shopping (Adam), Muggle Amsterdam (Adam and Kris) – and just enjoyed traveling and spending time with each other.

 

Kris was really falling in love with him; and knew the feeling was returned when Adam asked Kris to go home with him to California to meet his family.

 

“Okay, but you have to visit my folks in Conway after,” he said, propped up on his elbows on the rumpled bed. “My mama is going to love you.”

 

“You think your parents would accept a Slytherin?”

 

“Duh. Of course,” he said, rolling his eyes. “My parents didn’t go to Hogwarts, they went to a wizarding school in the States where they didn’t have to worry about House rivalries or whatever.”

 

Adam curled his arm over Kris’s lower back. “Okay, baby, how about if we spent a week with my folks and then a week with your folks, and then the rest of the summer in Australia being lazy and touristy?”

 

Kris nodded and turned on his back, smiling up at him. “Yeah.”

 

***

 

O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s took up the last few weeks of school.

 

Adam crawled into Kris’s bed every night, gave him a perfunctory kiss, and started snoring as soon as his head hit the pillows.

 

Kris giggled, rubbing Adam’s back. “I guess the honeymoon is over.”

 

Everywhere in Hogwarts, stress and exhaustion spilled over into every aspect of school life. Breakfast was extended an hour later to give late risers a chance to eat. Kris walked through the halls, smiling to himself as students either moved slowly around like zombies or ran past him in a flurried burst of energy. He honestly did not miss end of year exams.

 

He asked Dumbledore to make an announcement that the final Quidditch matches be postponed until after exams so that students and professors could enjoy them without having to worry about exams or grading. There was a soft cheer, enthusiastic but exhausted.

 

Adam propped his head up with his hand at the table, staring blearily at his plate, overflowing with a beautiful rare steak and perfectly steamed vegetables. “What’s this? I didn’t order this.”

 

“Eat it. You need your strength for later,” Kris whispered into his ear, winking at him when Adam’s eyes widened. He watched, pleased, as Adam dug into his hearty meal with zealousness.

 

Later, after they had returned from their short run in the Forest, Kris pinned Adam in the baths and kissed him and kissed him, stroking his cock with his hand until Adam’s moans echoed in his private bathroom.

 

“Thank you, baby, I really needed that,” Adam said, yawning and hugging him close in bed. “I promise, when exams are over, I’ll return the favor tenfold.”

 

“You better,” he said, snickering.

 

By the time the End of Term Feast, everyone was back in happy spirits and excitement, but bittersweet in that they would have to part for a few months over the summer months. Kris sat next to Adam and held his hand under the table, smiling as he looked out at the students.

 

The House Cup was awarded to Ravenclaw and the Quidditch Cup went to the Gryffindors.

 

Adam and Severus glared at him.

 

Kris shrugged. “Man, don’t give me that look. The Slytherin team just wasn’t as good, get over it.”

 

The night before school ended, Kris took Adam into the Forbidden Forest, both of them watching and grinning as they stripped off their clothes, tucking their wands safely in their boots, and changed into their Animagi forms.

 

Kris bounded across the forest and stood in front of the snow leopard and barked at him, nipping his snout and turning to slap his tail against Adam’s face. The snow leopard gave a playful growl and Kris took off at a fast run, his animal brain gleeful when he heard Adam give chase. They ran and ran through the Forest, jumping over fallen trees and bursting through the underbrush towards the clearing.

 

Adam jumped on his back, tumbling them both into the long grass, and Kris wrestled with him, letting out a soft yip when Adam captured his tail in his jaws. He turned his head and looked back, curling his paws and rolling on his back, tongue lolling out. He saw the blue eyes watching him, long snout burying into the soft fur of his belly, licking him quickly and chuffing when Kris smacked his snout with his paw.

 

He had never been happier than to run in the forest with Adam. He curled against Adam’s side and let out a breath against the ruff of Adam’s neck. He closed his eyes when he felt Adam’s rough tongue lick one of his ears, settling in close together, the light of the summer moon above them shining a cool light on their backs.

 

For now, everything was right in their world.

 

 

 

THE END.

 

Author’s Note: Because I wanted to keep the story light and happy, I didn’t stay true to canon and completely ignored Dumbledore’s death, Voldemort, and Death Eaters. Thanks for reading, everyone!

 


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